Parliamentary Diplomacy Has Crucial Role to Play in Addressing Challenges in Euro-Mediterranean Area – PAM President –

Parliamentary diplomacy has a crucial role to play in addressing the challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean area and strengthening mutual understanding and dialogue between nations, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), Pedro Roque, said Wednesday in Rabat. In an address delivered at the opening of the 17th PAM session hosted for two days by the Moroccan Parliament, Roque warned against the various threats facing the region, citing as examples armed conflicts, climate change, nuclear dangers and human rights violations. Believing that the world is closer than ever to self-destruction, he called on parliamentarians to show commitment and support for tangible initiatives and to develop legislation that can establish and consolidate peace, as well as ensure the prosperity of people around the Mediterranean and provide solutions to their main concerns. In this context, Roque spoke of the importance of relaunching negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to achieve a just settlement of this conflict in accordance with the two-state solution, as well as national reconciliation in Libya and the Balkans. He welcomed the PAM’s pioneering efforts and roles in peace-building in the region, most recently the agreement delimiting the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel. The PAM has, in fact, worked in recent years to achieve peace in the region through the holding of conferences, cooperation with international partners, awareness and consolidation of dialogue, said Roque. He also praised the Kingdom’s commitment to the PAM’s activities, stressing the recognition and esteem in which Morocco is held by all members of the Assembly, while expressing his deep gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI for organizing this meeting in the Kingdom. The 17th session of the PAM deals with various issues and different topics on the agenda of this parliamentary organization, through recommendations and resolutions developed within the framework of the Assembly’s specialized standing committees, including those related to the issues of “immigration”, security and terrorism”, “organized crime and human trafficking”, “geopolitical developments and security in the region”, “financial and economic crisis”, “artificial intelligence”, “energy efficiency”, “water security” and “protection of the marine environment”.